Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 2021, Blaðsíða 15

Dance, jive & have the time of your life
Dr. Bryony Mathew
Dr. Bryony Mathew is the U.K.’s
newest (and first female!) Ambas-
sador to Iceland. She holds a PhD in
Neuroscience from University Col-
lege, London and has served under
Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service
since 2005. Having just arrived in
Reykjavík a few weeks ago, she’s
still discovering all the charming
little things that make Iceland so
distinctly...Icelandic—and loving
every second of it.
Rising refreshed
I think the absolute ideal is waking
up early but feeling like you've had
a great night’s sleep. I always start
my day with co$ee and maybe, if I’m
lucky, I can see the sunrise. Then I
would get changed into running
gear and probably head out to the
waterfront to get some fresh air and
exercise. I love running there—really
fresh air, the smell of the sea and
seeing the mountains. I love having
these fabulous views as I run. You re-
ally feel like you’re in Icelandic na-
ture, despite being right in the city.
On my way back, I’d stop by a bakery
to get some sourdough and snú!ur
and head home for brunch with my
family.
Discovering Iceland’s adventures
Then I would love to head out on
some kind of adventure. Just get
in the car, drive somewhere and try
something new. I'd really love to try
ice kayaking. Or do some kind of hik-
ing, maybe trail biking or even stand
up paddle boarding. I'd love to do
that in Iceland. I think that would be
fabulous. From there, I would go to
some summer house in the middle of
beautiful nature with stunning views
— just somewhere really Icelandic.
Being in nature for some part of this
perfect day is really important.
Learn a little something
Once there, it’ll be time to relax be-
cause I think we've done quite a lot of
activity. I would sit down with another
nice, big co$ee. Something really im-
portant for me is to learn something
every day. It doesn't matter what it is.
It could be reading a detailed article
about a topic I don't know about. It
could be learning some Icelandic. I
would like to feel like I've achieved
something in a day. So a bit of time
just reading and relaxing and looking
at the beautiful view.
Martinis and making memories
Now it’s getting into the early eve-
ning so I'd say it's time for a cocktail.
My husband is, amongst many other
things, a fantastic cocktail bartend-
er, so he would mix the drinks. Then,
a really lovely evening for me would
be to have lots of friends and family
come over to barbecue — kids run-
ning everywhere, people just relax-
ing, having fun and chatting late into
the evening. Finally, when everyone's
tired and collapsed, I would love to
fall asleep to the sound of rain on the
roof, just knowing you're in nature.
Perfect Day
Vital Info
Reykjavík Map Best Of ReykjavíkPlaces We Like
September 3rd — October 7th
In Your Pocket
Useful Numbers
Emergency: 112
On-call doctors: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000
Post Office
The downtown post office has moved to
Hagatorg 1, open Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00.
Pharmacies
Lyf og heilsa, Fiskisló! 1, tel: 561 4600
Lyfja, Hafnarstræti 19, tel: 552 4045
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Bars can stay open until 1:00 on week-
days and weekends until 4:30.
Opening Hours - Shops & Banks
Most shops: Mon–Fri 10–18, Sat 10–16,
Sun closed. Banks: Mon-Fri 09-16
Swimming Pools
Sundhöllin, the downtown pool at
Barónsstígur, is an outdoor swimming
pool with hot tubs and a diving board.
More pools: gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22.
Sat from 08–16. Sun from 10–18.
Public Toilets
Public toilets in the centre can be found
inside the green-poster covered towers
located at Hlemmur, Ingólfstorg, by
Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Mu-
seum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson
on Skólavör!ustígur. Toilets can also be
found inside the Reykjavík City Hall and
the Reykjavík Library.
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20–30 minutes
Fare: 490 ISK adults, 245 ISK children.
Buses run from 06–24:00, and 7–04:30 on
weekends. More info: www.bus.is.
t
Words: Desirai Thompson
Photo: Art Bicnick
Storytelling is probably the most
important cultural tradition in
Iceland and a lot of its places
have enthralling tales to tell.
This book is a round trip around
the country, with thirty stops at
such places along the way.
A LITERARY
TOUR
AROUND
ICELAND
Forlagið bookstore | Fiskislóð 39 | www.forlagid.is
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ICELAND’S LARGEST BOOKSTORE